“Akōkurō genshikō”
[Passing into Twilight Alley]
Japanese Text:
Sakiyama, Tami. “Akōkurō genshikō.” Kuja genshikō. Fukuoka: Hanashoin, 2017. Print. 53-75.
English Text:
Sakiyama, Tami. “Passing into Twilight Alley.” Trans. Ikue Kina. My Postwar Life: New Writings from Japan and Okinawa. Chicago Quarterly Review Books: The United States of America, 2012. Print. 176-187.
1. Introduction
“Akōkurō genshikō” [Passage through Twilight Phantasms] first appeared in Subaru in 2006 and was republished in Kuja genshikō in 2017. The collection also includes “Kotōmu duchuimuni,” “Mienai machi kara shonkanē ga,” “Kuja kisōkyoku hensō,” “Piguru kaji nu fukiba,” “Pingihira zaka yakō,” and “Mapirōma no tsuki ni tatsu kageniha.” “Akōkurō genshikō” is about a woman’s memory about following a strange woman when she was five years old. Through the portrayals of the relationship between Watashi and the strange woman, Sakiyama explores the gap between the real and the unreal. In 2012, the story was translated into English by Kina Ikue, a professor of American Literature at the University of the Ryukyus.
2. Character List
Watashi (“I”) わたし
Watashi (“I,” the Japanese personal pronoun most often used by women) is an adult, but she recalls her experiences of following a strange woman in Akōkurō when she was about five years old. She often went to Akōkurō but does not remember how many times. The strangeness of the experience could be the reason why she suddenly remembers it.
The woman 女、土くれの女、そのヒト
The mysterious woman who Watashi meets and follows as a child. She walks very slowly, does not speak, has eyes like a dead fish, and a face covered with white powder. Also, she does not have any facial expressions and smells like dried dirt. Her actions seem meaningless, but her movement suggests that she lost an important person such as a lover whom she could not forget. Although she is described vividly, her peculiar behavior makes readers wonder if she really existed.
A plump oily-smelling woman 油のにおいのする小太りの女
This is the neighbor who brings sōki soup to the strange woman. She speaks very loudly and gossips about the strange woman without sympathy. Clearly, the strange woman dislikes her.
Women gossiping うわさ話をする女たち
Various women gossip about a “monster juri,” a legendary prostitute who might be the mother of the strange woman. However, their conversation is unclear, and we never find out what is true.
3. Historical Background
Black District and White District
Black District was a district in the Teruya district of Koza City (currently in Okinawa City) where black Americans gathered to eat, drink, and play. Even during the U.S. occupation, there was discrimination between whites and blacks. According to Kozashi shi [The History of Koza City], there was an incident in 1974 in which a white came into the Black District to drink with his black friend, and then he was surrounded by about 150 blacks who forced him out of the district. Kozashi shi also explains that when blacks or whites found a member of another race in their district, they often had fights or tried to hurt them. In “Akōkurō genshikō,” Watashi describes Akōkurō district as being a lower-class district, smelling like alcohol, and having noisy yells and sirens (54-55). This description suggests that Sakiyama is referring to the Black District located in Teruya.
White District, on the other hand, was around Park Avenue, in the Gate district, or in Yaeshima in Okinawa City. Gate district was quiet during the day but became lively at night (Miyagi, 2007). Violent incidents, including rape, often occurred around Park Avenue and Yaeshima. This description also sounds like what Watashi explains about Akōkurō district (54-55). Since the title of the story has the word “Akōkurō,” which means “brightness and darkness” in Okinawan language, perhaps “Akōkurō” refers to both the Black District and the White District because since “Akōkurō” can be translated as “whites and blacks.”
4. Plot Summary
Section 1 (53)
Watashi is dreaming about flowers but wakes up with vague memories about a certain district in the town.
Section 2 (53-4)
In a flashback, Watashi recalls a scene from when she was about five years old. She is in the Akōkurō district, where it is quiet during the day, but lively during the night. The district has a rotten smell caused by alcohol, bodily fluids, and mold.
Section 3 (54-60)
As a five-year-old, Watashi overhears women gossiping in an alley. They are talking about a woman who annoys them, and they say that her mother was a well-known prostitute who is called “monster juri.” They also mention that a strange woman is living in the Akōkurō district.
Section 4 (60-65)
Five-year-old Watashi looks back and wonders if the strange woman is one of the strangers living there. Five-year-old Watashi sees an obscured and shadowed object, which turns out to be the woman. The strange woman is kneeling and suddenly chants as if singing a song. Then the strange woman starts walking very slowly, so Watashi follows her.
Section 5 (65-68)
As she follows the strange woman, Watashi again overhears women talking in the alley. One woman makes a noise that sounds like “jiri-jiri-jiri-jiri,” and the sound irritates people who are preparing their shops for the night. One woman cannot stand it anymore and complains, but the strange woman does not stop making the noise. Another conversation is incomprehensible because of the lack of context. Watashi passes them while following the strange woman.
Section 6 (68-75)
Five-year-old Watashi follows the strange woman into her house and hides in a corner. The strange woman starts taking a shower, and a chubby woman appears at the entrance and leaves sōki soup for the strange woman. The chubby woman complains about the strange woman’s past and then leaves. When the strange woman finishes her shower and finds the soup, she throws it out of her house. Then the strange woman suddenly takes a fan and starts dancing. When finished, the strange woman disappears. Watashi seems to have awoken from a dream. However, she is very exhausted.
5. Setting
The setting of this story is obviously in Kuja, which means Koza in Okinawan dialect (Sakiyama lives currently in Okinawa City), but Akōkurō district’s exact location is not clear. Akōkurō district seems to be a fictionalized version of Koza, inspired by Sakiyama’s memories. Before Okinawa reverted to Japan, a large part of Koza was occupied by the American military. Entertainment districts and red-light districts for American soldiers surrounded the bases, just like for Akōkurō district. In Sakiyama’s story, it is mentioned that Akōkurō district was turned into an entertainment district after the war. The sounds of yelling, sirens, and gunshots suggest the Koza Riot, which happened on December 20, 1970. Also, Akōkurō district might refer to Teruya which was also called the “Black District.”
In an informal Okinawan literature discussion group, I got a chance to hear an episode from a man who had lived there for many years. According to him, he assumed that Akōkurō district referred to the Teruya district (Yogi, 5 Aug. 2018). In the beginning of the story, Watashi describes under-class servicemen (55), so she is probably referring to black servicemen. In addition, Teruya is near where Sakiyama lives (Sakiyama, p.124, 2014). As mentioned above, perhaps “Akōkurō,” which can be translated “whites and blacks,” refers to both the White District in Yaeshima and the Black District in Teruya.
6. Point of View
Watashi is the narrator and protagonist. In other words, the entire story is told from her point of view, and readers never know what other characters are thinking. However, the story focuses on her memory of visiting Akōkurō district when she was about five years old, and this makes the story difficult to understand. If the story were told from the point of view of another character, the mysterious events in the story would probably be clearer. What makes this story mysterious and interesting is Watashi’s unusual and strange experience. Watashi’s memory seems to be triggered by bougainvillea flowers, and her memory seems to try to crawl out of her. It’s as if Watashi is forced to tell her own story.
7. Writing Style
Sakiyama Tami’s writing style is very complicated, and “Akōkurō genshikō” is one of her most complex stories. There are two reasons why her writing style is so complicated. First, Sakiyama searches for her own unique words to express herself. In Kotoba no umareru basho, a collection of essays, Sakiyama mentions that she always wanted to write about herself (8). She also writes that her historical background, experiences, and environment have shaped not only herself but also her language. Therefore, she strongly desires to use her own unique language when writing about herself. Sakiyama was born and raised on Iriomote Island and grew up in Koza, so that she has a unique language background. As a result, she feels uncomfortable limiting herself to standard Japanese because she can’t adequately express herself in Japanese. However, this limitation motivated her to try to find her own words. As a result, she has developed her own unique but complicated writing style, which mixes standard Japanese with varieties of shimakotoba.
In addition, Sakiyama’s sense of language affects how she uses hiragana, katakana, and kanji in her work. At a conference on Okinawan literature, I got a chance to ask Sakiyama personally how she distinguishes these three types of writing in her work. She answered that a word written in hiragana has wider meanings, a word written in katakana often expresses her unique meanings, and a word written in kanji means that it is being used in standard Japanese, the national language. She added that she feels comfortable making distinctions in this way (Yogi, 10 Nov. 2018).
Second, Sakiyama uses language in order to bring to life those whom history has forgotten. Through her words, she wants to tell about people who speak a minor language, people who have been forgotten, and people who have been discriminated against. For instance, in “Akōkurō genshikō,” Sakiyama describes women who suffered from sexual violence and poverty. In one scene, there is an unusual conversation between a woman who is making some noise and a woman who is irritated by those noises. The noises are described as sounding like this: “ジリジリジリ……やっ……やっ……やっ…… (jiri, jiri, jiri……yat……yat……yat……).” The chattering woman also speaks normally and talks a little with the complaining woman after that, but obviously nobody seems to understand what the noises mean. For readers, it is just a strange sound that they have never heard before, but the repetition suggests that the woman is making a strong appeal about something. By using this technique, Sakiyama lets readers imagine the existence of people who have been ignored by the majority—and challenges readers to make sense of difficult language. This experimental challenge makes her writing style more complicated.
In conclusion, Sakiyama takes an experimental approach to language by searching for her own unique words and the voice for describing those who have never been written about. Because of her writing style, readers might not initially understand what she wants to say, but rereading and deeply considering her works usually brings great rewards.
8. Imagery
Descriptions of light and darkness
The word “Akōkurō” in the title indicates the light and darkness of Koza in the 1970’s. In the Ryūkyuan language, “akō” means “akarui” in Japanese, or “bright” in English, and “kurō” means “kurai” in Japanese, or “dark” in English. Watashi describes Akōkurō district as being the reverse of day and night. In other words, nothing is going on during the day, but the town becomes lively and entertaining at night (54). However, nothing good happens in the evening either: there are only riots, the sound of sirens, gunshots, the smells of alcohol, and yelling. Normally, the daytime is usually considered positively, but in Sakiyama’s story, the district is described as poor, troubled, and dark. Similarly, the night is usually considered as being dangerous. Although nighttime should be a quiet time, in this story, people in the district live in fear of Americans. Ironically, their livelihoods depend on the Americans: either by working in bars or working as a prostitute.
The woman
The mysterious woman Watashi meets is a symbol of the victims of the darkness of Koza. At first, her existence is not recognized as human, and Watashi sees her as being a shadow. This suggests that the woman was hurt by something or someone. Furthermore, the woman starts to be called “a mud woman” because she smells like dried dirt and really looks like clay. She has no facial expression, has white eyes like a dead fish, and no sense of reaction. These things suggest a body raped or involved in prostitution. Another clue about the woman is the scene when Watashi sees the woman’s private area. When the woman’s skirt covers Watashi, she smells a strong odor and sees the woman’s shaved private area without underwear (64).
9. Themes
Remembering Ambiguous Childhood Memories
Many people feel that childhood memories are suddenly triggered by something similar that they see or hear. Some people can clearly picture the memories, for example, the location, the time, the people they met, and the things they have done. However, such memories might also be descriptions of the past, influenced by conflicts and emotions. Sakiyama’s story reveals some features of remembering ambiguous childhood memories such as the difficulty of expressing the memories with words, fragmentation, and the need for a plot.
First, it is quite difficult to accurately describe ambiguous childhood memories. Ambiguous memories are blurred, so that it is like trying to touch the clouds. In the story, Watashi tries to explain her memories; however, some parts in the story seem incomprehensible to readers. For example, in the fifth section, the conversation between the two women that Watashi overhears while following the strange woman is incomprehensible to her. She remembers words like “jiri-jiri-jiri” an “yat, yat, yat” (66), but the noises cannot be understood from the context, even though they seem to suggest complaints of some kind. Sakiyama uses incomprehensible words to recreate incomprehensible and ambiguous memories. In this way, readers become like an adult who has a distorted view of the past.
Second, ambiguous childhood memories are often fragmented. Trying to recall such memories is like trying to recall a dream. When people try to explain their dreams, they often recall scenes without connections. Similarly, when people try to recall their childhood memories, they cannot recount them in detail like telling a story, but just explain some fragments of what, where, and when things happened without any connections. In the second section, Watashi says that her pieces of memories just suddenly popped into her head without any connection (54). For example, she explains what the town looks like, then suddenly describes hearing gossiping between women working there. Similarly, in the fifth section, a conversation between two women suddenly starts without any context (65). The connection between the scenes are unreal, which shows the fragmentation of ambiguous childhood memories.
Finally, ambiguous childhood memories require plots to be conveyed, even though they are fragmented. According to Alasdair Wilkins, older children and adults begin to fill in the gaps of their memories with invented details (2015). In other words, childhood memories are created with some other memories. This is why childhood stories are well organized. However, people don’t try to create the stories on purpose. Wilkins points out that memory is a fundamentally constructive activity; we use it to build understanding of the world, and that that process sometimes requires more narratives than our memories recall by themselves (2015). So, to remember childhood memories, we need to fill in the gaps between fragmented memories and create a plot. Significantly, “Akōkurō genshikō” ends with a description of Watashi’s five-year-old self waiting for the narrative process to begin:
I waited. I waited in the alley as darkness fell faster and faster, murmuring yet invisible stories in yet silent voice, hutsu, hutsu, hutsu, singing out like, ho-oy, ho-oy, ho-oy. The darkness fell incessantly. Tapped by the heavy rhythm, the poto poto of dripping darkness, my eyes and ears were exhausted, left open for stories yet to come. (Translation by Kina, 187)
This description parallels Wilkins’ description of how we need to fill in the gaps of our childhood memories in order to make sense of them. Although Watashi’s memory is ambiguous, she wants to make sense of what she saw and felt when she was five years old. That makes her wait for the narratives to come. Through this passage, Sakiyama implicitly points out that ambiguous childhood memories require plots.
To summarize, ambiguous childhood memories have many interesting features. Because of their ambiguousness and fragmental features, the memories need to be shaped into narratives using other memories. Remembering ambiguous childhood memories makes us feel nostalgic; however, we can never feel the same as when the memories were first experienced.
Prostitution in Okinawa
According to Wikipedia, prostitution has a long history and has been called the oldest occupation in human history. During the Edo period, Japan, prostitution thrived in parts of Japan. However, prostitution often results from poverty. Women in many countries work as prostitutes to survive. Of course, this has also been true in Okinawa: after the battle of Okinawa, areas around U.S. military bases flourished, and prostitution catering to U.S. servicemen become widespread. In “Akōkurō genshikō,” readers can see how prostitution, especially in Koza, affected people who lived there during the occupation.
First, prostitution was used as a sort of breakwater to protect women and children from possible rape. After the Battle of Okinawa, Okinawa was occupied by the U.S. military and much sexual violence occurred. At that time, prostitution became a way to survive, so many women become prostitutes (Tanaka, 187). Even though some people objected, prostitution increased, partly because people thought that prostitution prevented sexual violence (Tanaka, 177-179). In “Akōkurō genshikō,” for example, Akōkurō street becomes active at night (54), largely because people living there were involved in prostitution or entertaining soldiers.
Second, prostitution was a way to survive during an economically troubled time. It is easy to earn money from U.S. soldiers by satisfying their sexual desires. Of course, not all women entered the profession willingly. Some women were forced into the work to survive, and some got involved because they were raped. In “Akōkurō genshikō,” the strange woman has no facial expression, looks dead, and smells like dirt (62). This suggests that women who worked as prostitutes suffered emotionally and physically.
Finally, Sakiyama’s story reveals how prostitution changed before and after the battle of Okinawa. In “Akōkurō genshikō,” the gossiping women discuss the notorious “monster juri” and compare themselves to her. According to Okinawa Labo, the old prostitution system existed in Tsuji (currently in Naha) starting from the period of Shōshin, a king of the Ryūkyūs, and prostitutes were called juri. Although they provided sexual services like prostitutes in the postwar period, juri were respected. Juri were often girls sold by their parents to make money to move to South America or simply to survive. The owner of a yūkaku (house for prostitution) lived peacefully with the girls and taught them to help and respect each other—even though they lived in poverty. Compared to the prostitution of the postwar period, the women were not just commodified to make money.
To summarize, readers need to be aware of the existence of the prostitution in Okinawa to understand this story. In addition, readers should be aware of the historical context of prostitution in the prefecture.
10. Criticism on Kuja genshikō
Kina, Ikue. “Fuchi o ibasho to suru monotachi e: Sakiyama Tami no kuja rensaku shōsetsu ni okeru kioku to kōkan” [People Living in the Abyss: Memory and Sympathy in Sakiyama Tami’s Kuja Stories]. Kokyō no toporogī: Basho to ibasho no kankyōbungakuron [The Topology of Birthplace]. Tokyo: Suiseisha, 2011. Print.
In this essay, Kina Ikue analyzes the Kuja stories to show how Sakiyama depicts the voices of residents living in the abyss, or fringes of society. In the first section, Kina points out that readers should not assume that Kuja is Koza. Kina feels that readers subconsciously assume the stories are about Koza (current Okinawa City) but emphasizes that Sakiyama’s Kuja is different from the real Koza. In the stories, Kuja suggests Koza but readers should remember that Kuja is just a fictional place used as a stage for Sakiyama’s stories
In the second section, Kina points out that Sakiyama’s stories confront us with the real world of various characters. She points out that each character represents a forgotten memory of Kuja. This pulls readers into a process of remembering people whom history has forgotten.
In the third section, Kina considers the conflict between Uchināguchi (Okinawan languages) and standard Japanese. Kina points out that various sounds in the stories cannot be recognized as voices, so the ability to distinguish them is very difficult. On the other hand, readers are forced to recognize the existence of a language that they might not understand. In the fourth section, Kina argues that the unique language created by Sakiyama is an attempt at finding a voice to express untold stories of various women. For example, “Akōkurō genshikō” gives voice to the mud woman whom Watashi follows. Kuja is the place where the visible and invisible live together.
11. Discussion Questions
1. Why are all the characters in the story women?
2. What is the meaning of the sounds of “jiri, jiri, jiri,” and “yat, yat, yat” that the woman in section 5 makes? Are these simply sounds or are they language?
3. What do you think the unidentified people pretending the residents of Akōkurō street are?
4. What do the bougainvillea flowers represent?
5. What is the meaning of the mysterious woman’s dance and song?
6. Why does the mysterious woman take a shower?
7. What is Watashi waiting for at the end of the story?
8. Does the story give an accurate depiction of a five-year-old’s memory?
9. What does Watashi feel when she sees the woman’s private area?
10. Do you think that the rumors about the “monster juri” are true?
- 12. Works Cited
Kina, Ikue. “Fuchi o ibasho to suru monotachi e: Sakiyama Tami no kuja rensaku shōsetsu ni okeru kioku to kōkan” [People Living in the Abyss: Memory and Sympathy in Sakiyama Tami’s Kuja Stories]. Kokyō no toporogī: Basho to ibasho no kankyōbungakuron [The Topology of Birthplace]. Tokyo: Suiseisha, 2011. Print. 183-199.
Kozashi shi [The History of Koza City]. Tokyo: Teikoku chihō gyōsei gakkai [Imperial Regional Administration Society], 1974. Print. 903-904.
Miyagi, Shūichi. Koza zanzō: Fōto korecushon [Afterimage of Koza: Photo Collection], Okinawa: Nitsutsujisanbō, 2007. Print. 25.
“Naha no Tsuji ni atta Yūkaku to Juri.” Okinawa Labo. Web. 10 Sep. 2014.
Nakamura, Seiji, Seiji, Fujii and Tomomitsu Fukuhara. Otona no shakai kengaku. 24 12 2015. web. 10 1 2019, http://www.akishobo.com/akichi/okinawa/v4
Sakiyama, Tami. “Akōkurō genshikō” [Passing through Twilight Phantasms]. Kuja genshikō. Fukuoka: Hanashoin, 2017. Print. 53-75.
---. “Kotōmu Duchuimuni” [Soliloquy of a Lonely Island’s Dream]. Kuja genshikō. Fukuoka: Hanashoin, 2017. Print. 5-26.
---. Kotoba no umareru basho [The Place Where Words Are Born]. Tokyo: Sunakoyashobō, 2014. Print.
---. “Kuja kisōkyoku hensō.” [Capriccio Kuja Variation]. Kuja genshikō. Fukuoka: Hanashoin, 2017. Print. 149-189.
---. “Mapirōma no tsuki ni tatsu kageniha” [The Shadow Standing on the Moon of Mapirōma]. Kuja genshikō. Fukuoka: Hanashoin, 2017. Print. 125-148.
---. “Mienai Machi kara Shonkanē ga” [Hopelessness from an Invisible Town]. Kuja genshikō. Fukuoka: Hanashoin, 2017. Print. 27-52.
---. “Passing into Twilight Alley.” [Akōkurō genshikō.] Trans. Ikue Kina. My Postwar Life: New Writings from Japan and Okinawa. Chicago Quarterly Review Books: The United States of America. 2012. Print. 176-187.
---. “Psiguru kaji nu fukiba” [When the Psiguru Wind Blows]. Kuja genshikō. Fukuoka: Hanashoin, 2017. Print. 103-123.
---. “Pingihira zaka yakō” [Night Travel on Pingihira Hill]. Kuja genshikō. Fukuoka: Hanashoin, 2017. Print. 76-102.
---. “Q mura kanraku” [The Fall of Q Village]. Unjuga nasaki. Fukuoka: Hanashoin, 2016. Print. 103-125.
---. “Q mura zensen a” [The front of Q Village A]. Unjuga nasaki. Fukuoka: Hanashoin, 2016. Print. 59-77.
---. “Q mura zensen b” [The front of Q Village B]. Unjuga nasaki. Fukuoka: Hanashoin, 2016. Print. 79-102.
---. “Shimakotoba de kachāshī” [Stirring Up with Island Words]. Watashi no tankyū: 21 seiki bungaku no sōzō. Tokyo: Iwanami Press, 2002. Print. 157-180.
---. “Watashi no kotoba to kotoba no takurami.” [My Own Words and A Conspiracy of Words.] Association of Japan Social Literature, Okinawa International University, 10 Nov. 2018. Address.
Sakiyama, Tami, Ariko Kurosawa, Ikue Kina, and Yōkō Okamoto. “Okinawa-distopia no bungaku” [Okinawa Dystopian Literature]. Subaru, vol.29, no.2, February 2007. 172-191.
Shinjō, Ikuo. “Kotoba no toritsuki ni tsuite.” [Possession of Word.] Association of Japan Social Literature, Okinawa International University, 10 Nov. 2018. Address.
Sminkey, Paul. “Sakiyama Tami’s Dance with Reader in ‘Shimagomoru’: The Fusion of Space and Time through Ritual.” Okinawa International University Foreign Languages Research. Okinawa: Okinawa International University, 2008. 55-73.
Tanaka, Masakazu. “Guntai, Seibouryoku, Baishun” [Military, Sexual Violence, and Prostitution]. Chapter 5. Guntai no bunkajinruigaku. Tokyo: Fūkyōsha, 2015. Print. 177-212.
Wikipedia contributors. “Koza bōdō.” [Koza Riot]. Wikipedia. Wikipedia, 2 Dec. 2018. Web. 2 Dec. 2018.
Wikipedia contributors. “Baishun.” [Prostitution]. Wikipedia. Wikipedia, 12 Dec. 2018. Web. 12 Dec. 2018.
Wilkins, Alasdair. “Why Childhood Memories Disappear.” The Atlantic. 6 Jul 2015. <https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2015/07/why-childhood-memories-disappear/397502/>.
Yogi, Shotaro. Personal interview. 5 Aug. 2018.
Yogi, Shotaro. Personal interview. 10 Nov. 2018.
Original report by Shōtarō Yogi. Edited and revised by Kasumi Sminkey.